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poetry by j matthew waters

Archive for the tag “Poetry”

20 Aug 2014
8 Comments

all alleys lead to sand & saltwater


walking away from the sunset
shopping for the next place to sleep
eyes remain optimistic of a tomorrow
promising pay

all alleys in this pacific coast city
lead to sand & saltwater
along the way housing is made from
cardboard & wire & unfinished dreams

familiar hopeful faces
unite and welcome the wonders of the day
their hands busily preparing
to feed five thousand





august two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, In the City, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
09 Aug 2014
17 Comments

miracle


I smelled what I thought were freshly
cut roses
the color red I imagined
softly brilliant in slender glass vase

I felt the velveted petals between
thumb and finger
reminding me of feathers
I once patiently nurtured back to flight

I heard the beating of a restless heart
pressed against
innocent skin exposed to light
newly created and wrinkled in fear

I dreamed of tasting a perfect fruit
innocently sweet
and promising flawless eyes
witnessing unimaginable happenings



august two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
05 Aug 2014
13 Comments

catbird singing (in the dead of night)


catbird chirps along stone walls
saying look at me
follow me
this way where the water flows

trim and proper in tailored suit
catbird mimics
moon walking
whistling across dance floor

tricks up sleeves and a beak
full of pranks
catbird screams
like a wee lad crying wolf

one eye on brighter side
falling sun
invites night flight
catbird chasing brand new day



august two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Animals, Birds, Poetry and tagged , , , , , ,
21 Jul 2014
14 Comments

when young he dreamed of touching the sky


when pretending to sleep in the crib
many friends of the family
came and went
commenting about this and that

my conscience told me this is exactly
how it will be in the end

bored from all the attention
I fell asleep and
dreamed of becoming the man
who lived to touch the sky




july two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , ,
19 Jul 2014
7 Comments

birdhouse


in your free time bright ideas
arise out of thin air
and fizzle into nothingness

more often than not
trial and error leads you
tossing your thoughts to the birds
and you wonder if they will feed on them
or regurgitate them like earthworms

but if you’re industrious enough
you can incubate them
study them
nurture them
transform them with
wood and glue and nails

on lazy weekend afternoons
you sit and listen to birds happily
singing to their little ones
and you realize it’s best
to deconstruct your inner thoughts
and rebuild them into something
better than before




july two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Birds, Poetry and tagged , , , , , , ,
17 Jul 2014
7 Comments

imagine


these neighborhoods
reside in underworld riddles
subjected to laws
systematically enforced
by remote controls

stepping on stones
children experience daring truths
along boundary lines
carving their world from another
looking from afar

latest weapons
brutally scratch hard surfaces
buckling the pavement
like tectonic plates exploding
and consuming homes

lord have mercy
mothers lament repeatedly
sprawled on city streets
grown children riddled with bullets
limp in barren arms

lifeless bodies
encircle living among dead
pleading up on high
beating breasts and shouting for world
to imagine peace



july two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , , ,
26 Jun 2014
6 Comments

january rain


she told me she liked a good cliché
liked how it felt against the
tip of her tongue

she was the kind of gal
who loved to french kiss for hours
or so she told no one

I remember her telling me on
new year’s eve
to be at the bus stop at noon
where she’d pick me up and
we’d go picnicking in the park

it rained throughout the night
and well into the morning
and though the buses don’t
run on sundays
there I sat in the dark
wondering where she was





june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , ,
16 Jun 2014
3 Comments

missing organ donor


those freckled spots mysteriously
appearing overnight on my arms
remind me
how very much alive I am
my markings like rings on a tree
perhaps one day
exposed for all to see



june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
04 Jun 2014
8 Comments

metallic storm


stars are brightest in the desert
and from there you can clearly
see the other worlds

beneath the sand the past lives on
beating shallow breathes and
awaiting the next impact

time travelers land without incident
collecting precious data
left behind by meteorites

full moon pushes old photographs
onto the new shoreline
giving rise to the possibility
that life somehow lived on




june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , ,
28 May 2014
6 Comments

the seven gods of fortune


their ship sails interstellar space
blasted from earth ages ago
pursuing various missions
beyond the southern dwarf
especially keen on harvesting
gold from fallen civilizations
and gifting back as good fortune
to the children of the stars




may two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , ,
26 May 2014
4 Comments

hurry sundown


hurry sundown
so we may pretend
flashes in the sky are lightning bolts
and sirens sounding in the night
mere weather warnings

hurry sundown
so we may pretend
that the faraway drums are rolling thunder
and the stomping of boots on concrete
just a relentless downpour

hurry sundown
so we may pretend
to sneak away like children of the night
uncaging the white doves held captive
by enemies with false memories




may two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry, War Poems and tagged , , , , ,
24 May 2014
7 Comments

sailing to philadelphia


he sailed to philadelphia in a dream
sent by angels to rediscover a land
known for its doves and roses

he surveyed the streets on sandaled feet
breathing in air and admiring the people
who were nearly like him
who were down-to-earth
and homeless

everyone who witnessed the scars of
his past tattooed on his arms
and feet and sides
welcomed him with open smiles
begging him to break bread with them



may two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dogma, Poetry and tagged , , ,
18 May 2014
22 Comments

river of sorrow


first I lost my love
then I quickly lost my mind
encapsulated in glass
crashing headlong downstream
toward the convergence
known as the styx

consumed by the great marsh
my mind disappeared
deep within the underworld
leaving me cold and empty
and unable to understand
exactly what afflicted
my ailing heart



may two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
12 May 2014
4 Comments

designer drugs


we pump ourselves up with artificial
intelligence designed to make us fly by
unnoticed and unashamed
turning our dreams into newsflashes
made to fizzle in the dark
leaving everyone wondering
exactly what went wrong



may two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Dreams, Micropoetry, Poetry and tagged , , , ,
20 Apr 2014
8 Comments

vanishing trick


I would understand the ending to
every single story inside you
if only you would open your skin

I would understand if you chopped
every branch and bough from the
apple tree and
carved into its core
your own sacred totem pole

if you chose to set sail off the rocky
shores of the atlantic
and never return to our native land
I would understand

if you were born in another place
and a different time
I would understand you as much
as I do today

should you vanish without a sound
nor provide a reason for
not wanting to see me again
I would only pretend to understand



april two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , , , ,
19 Apr 2014
6 Comments

roller coaster road


whiskey god turns over the keys
at supersonic speeds
cutting to the chase and racing
through the royal countryside

he doesn’t care about the time
of day just as long as shots
ring across the center white line
like exaggerated backfire

they follow the scent all the way
along roller coaster road
like a couple of grim characters
out looking for a good time

once reaching the crossroad
whiskey god hurls the
blazing sun into the guardrail
putting an end to their perfect day




april two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved

Posted in Poetry and tagged , ,

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